Protect Our Defenders News Blog

 

Army drill sergeant accused of numerous sex assaults in Afghanistan and Missouri

The Washington Post reports:

An Army staff sergeant is accused of sexually assaulting several female soldiers since 2011, including at least one while he was deployed to Afghanistan and others more recently while he served as a drill sergeant, according to military officials and court documents.

The accusations are detailed in a charging document filed against Staff Sgt. Angel M. Sanchez, who appeared at a pretrial hearing at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri on Wednesday, a proceeding that could lead to a court-martial later this year. Sanchez has served at the base since August, training new soldiers with the 14th Military Police Brigade.

The Pentagon said this month that it received thousands of reports of sexual assault last year, and the problem is much more widespread than commanders had realized. The case against Sanchez is singular because he is alleged to have assaulted a dozen women, and he used his position as a drill sergeant to threaten some of his alleged victims, according to military documents.

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